ROOT VEGETABLES
From the
Kitchen of Oded Schwartz
Since the beginning of history, root vegetables were
the bases of winter food. Being hardy, they keep well supplying
nourishment when nothing else was available. Things have changed a bit
since then, most root vegetables are available and cheap throughout the
year. Carrots, the most universally popular member of the family, is one of
the largest agricultural crops in the world.
Root vegetables come in an amazing array of colour
and shapes; bulbous, deep purple beetroots, brilliant, red skinned
radishes with their translucent white centre and slender, juicy, orange
carrots, which until the 17th century were as purple as the
beetroot. 
It is not a surprise that they are used, both cooked and raw,
for colourful and delicious salads. Their characteristic fresh herby
flavour is an essential flavouring to many soups, stews and roasts. Sliced
very thinly & deep fried in oil they make original, decorative and
delicious crisps.
Although widely used in the kitchen,
many cooks
ignore the other potential of almost all root vegetables - being rich in
sugars, they also make good jams and sweet preserves.
Their crunchy, succulent texture availability and price also makes
them ideal for pickling. To redress this balance the following recipes are
a few of my favourite preserved root vegetable recipes.
A lot of vitamins and trace elements are contained in the
skins, other than for aesthetic reason — the peel tends to brown and
wrinkle during preservation, there is no need to peel the roots unless
they are very old and thick skinned.
When selecting root vegetables
choose heavy, solid, smooth
skinned roots, lightness indicates that they are overblown, hollow and
woody inside.
CARROT
& ALMOND CHUTNEY
My adaptation of
'angel hair jam', a Middle
Eastern classic made with long, thin threads of carrot. The carrot strands
look transparent, which makes it particularly attractive. Full flavoured,
sweet and sour this chutney goes well with mature cheese and cold cuts.
1.25
kg
carrots, grated lengthwise
125 g
fresh ginger root, finely shredded
250 ml
white wine vinegar
grated
peel and juice of 2 large lemons
150 ml
water
400 g
white or light brown sugar
4
tbsp honey
2
tbsp coriander seeds, freshly ground
1
tbsp salt
3-4
birds eye chillies
3
tbsp flaked almonds, lightly roasted
(Makes about 1.5kg)
Put all the ingredients, except the almonds and chilli, in a glass
bowl. Mix well, cover and leave to stand overnight. Next day transfer into enamel or stainless
steell preserving pan.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Increase the heat and boil
hard for 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated, switch
off the heat.
Grind the chilli into a fine powder in a spice mill or a coffee
grinder. Stir into the pan with the almonds. Ladle into hot sterilised
jars and seal. The chutney is ready for immediate use but improves with
maturing.
CARROT
JAM
Root vegetable jams, marmalades and preserves used to
be made during winter, when no other fresh, raw ingredients were available.
Almost any root vegetable can be used for this purpose but when using
beets, turnips or kohlrabi it is recommended to blanch them several times
to get rid of their strong flavour.
1
kg
carrots, finely grated
250 g
sultanas
500 ml water
750 g
sugar
rind
of 2 lemons
juice
of 3 lemons
2
tsp ground ginger
(Makes about 1.25kg)
Put the carrots, sultanas and water in a preserving pan. Bring to
the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the
carrots are just soft. Add the sugar, lemon rind and juice, stirring well until the
sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then simmer, stirring frequently,
for 1 hour or until very thick.
Stir the ginger in and remove the pan from the heat. Ladle into hot
sterilized jars and seal.
PICKLED
RADISH OR TURNIP
This vividly coloured pickle is popular all over the
Middle East and the southern part of Russia. I use it as a colourful
addition to salads, as a part of Middle Eastern mezha and as a snack with
drinks. Any one of the turnip family, such as radish, mouli
or kohlrabi can be used instead of the turnip.
1
kg
white turnips or large radishes, sliced into 1 cm discs
250 g
raw beetroot, peeled and sliced into 5 mm discs
4-5
cloves of garlic, sliced
salt
3
tbsp white wine or distilled vinegar
(Makes about 2kg)
Arrange the turnip in wide mouthed sterilised jar, placing a few
slices of beetroot and garlic between the layers.
Fill the jar with enough cold water to cover the vegetables, then
drain into a measuring jug. Add 1½ tbsp of salt for every 500 ml of water,
stirring until the salt has dissolved. Add the vinegar, then pour into the
jar.
Weight down the vegetables so they are covered with the brine,
cover with a clean cloth and leave, in a well-ventilated place for 2 weeks, until fermentation has stopped. Seal the jar and refrigerate. The
pickle is then ready but improves with a few weeks of maturation.
CELERIAC
AND CARROT PICKLED SALAD
The big and earthy looking celeriac makes a delicious
pickle. Be careful choosing celeriac: it can become hollow and stringy
when mature. Select solid roots that are heavy for their size and avoid
any with green patches.
1
large celeriac, about 1 kg, peeled and shredded or coarsely grated
5
large carrots, coarsely grated
2
medium onions, peeled and sliced into thin rings
2½ tbsp salt
2
tbsp dill seeds
Shredded
rind and juice of 1 orange
500 ml
white wine or cider vinegar
150 ml
water
1
tbsp sugar (optional)
(Makes about 2kg)
Mix the celeriac, carrot and onion together in a glass bowl and
sprinkle with 2 tbsps of the salt. Mix well and leave to stand for about 2
hours. Rinse the vegetables under cold running water, then drain well.
Stir in the dill and the orange peel and loosely pack into warmed
sterilised preserving jars. Place the vinegar, water, orange juice, sugar and the remaining
salt in a non-corrosive pan. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 -3
minutes, then skim well. Pour into the jars to cover the vegetables. Poke
the vegetables with a wooden skewer to ensure there are no air pockets,
then seal. The pickle will be ready to eat in a week. Refrigerate after
opening.
Note:
I like the full, slightly bitter flavour of the orange peel
and therefore never blanch it. If you prefer, blanch the shredded peel in
boiling water for 1 - 2 minutes, refresh and drain before using.
For
more on Oded Schwartz, consultant, food historian and author of the highly
acclaimed book 'Preserving', see SOUP
a bowl of delicious, warming
soup - nothing
is nicer on a wet, cold night. Also
on Showcook "Be
a devil and start experimenting with the wonderful world of chilli
flavouring; see CHILLIES."
Oded is giving classes
and demonstrations on preserving and other specialized subjects.
For more information, please contact Oded at odedschwartz@sentechsa.com
or (021) 426-2397
© Oded
Schwartz